Review #20: Wellness by Nathan Hill

Book Review #20

Title:  Wellness

Author: Nathan Hill

Genre: Literary Fiction

# of Pages: 624

Format: Hardcover (via Book of the Month)

Part of Series? No

Rating: 4/5 stars, very high four out of five! The more I reflect on this book in the weeks since I finished, the more fondly I think of it

Source: Penguin Random House

Thoughts: I just adored this novel. Hill does an incredible job getting into the crevices of the human psyche. Such a creative and unique story. I’d never be friends with Jack nor Elizabeth, nor do I even like Elizabeth at all, but they are such amazing, complex characters. If you like long, literary fiction, that is character, not plot driven, you will like this one. It is long, but never too long. Sometimes this story was serious, sometimes silly, always extremely descriptive and interesting. The way it starts is just SO unique. I would love to have a conversation with Hill about his process and how he was able to get to deep into the minds and attitudes of the characters. There was such a wild range of caricatures and he kind of perfectly captures each of them. The portrait of the angsty hipster was a true masterpiece.

Inside cover reads, “When Jack and Elizabeth meet as college students in the '90s, the two quickly join forces and hold on tight, each eager to claim a place in Chicago’s thriving underground art scene with an appreciative kindred spirit. Fast-forward twenty years to married life, and alongside the challenges of parenting, they encounter cults disguised as mindfulness support groups, polyamorous would-be suitors, Facebook wars, and something called Love Potion Number Nine.
For the first time, Jack and Elizabeth struggle to recognize each other, and the no-longer-youthful dreamers are forced to face their demons, from unfulfilled career ambitions to painful childhood memories of their own dysfunctional families. In the process, Jack and Elizabeth must undertake separate, personal excavations, or risk losing the best thing in their lives: each other.”

You will like this if you like: literary fiction, epic-type novels spanning decades, slow burns, Panchinko – it isn’t the same at all but the way I felt while reading it was – kept wanting to read to see how it was going to unfold – not action packed, and Free Food for Millionaires – also by the author of Panchinko , Min Jin Lee – Wellness was actually more similar to Free Food for Millionaires than Panchinko